At the same time, those towns are hella compact, such that 90+% of residents can walk to pretty much any retailer or store or other resource within 15-20 minutes. Yes, some people (farmers) live outside of town and there are some American-style housing in clumps outside of the town, but everyone mostly lives in tight clusters.
And even the tiny towns well away from other larger towns have busses that move people between towns on a fairly regular If infrequent basis (15-20 minutes apart). Only the larger population centres can afford to have public transport that comes every 5 minutes or so.
You also have to understand that in North America, a “significant separation between towns” is something like 100+km. In Germany, that term qualifies with as little as a 10km distance. It’s rare to find any population centre that is more than 20km away from its nearest neighbour.
At the same time, those towns are hella compact, such that 90+% of residents can walk to pretty much any retailer or store or other resource within 15-20 minutes.
Pandemics are a thing
Families wanting nature and places in their backyard that kids can play
I think 15 minute cities are great if you have everything to back it up. All of the grocery stores and mini-box stores left downtown Seattle because a lot are work from home now. If people can work and live anywhere they want, they want nature. You need to have transit for that.
Edit: I’m trying to understand the downvotes, is this not being taught in urban planning? Is it just developers wanting to rent their spaces because their leases are closing out? Or is it naive people wanting to force their ideas without realizing humans are going to make decisions in the process as well? Super interesting thread.
You’re getting downvoted, because your comment is basically the typical “America does it this way, so it has to be good”.
I happen to live in a town of about 200k in Germany. Within walking distance there are at least 3 grocery stores, multiple doctors, bus stops and tram stations.
I have a nice backyard, if I had kids, they could play there. Alternatively, I could walk to one of at least two public playgrounds again within walking distance, or walk about 1km to a really cool one in a foresty park.
Nature (like real nature) is maybe half an hour by train away. Or 10min by bike.
Now, how exactly is that super totally worse than having to drive literally everywhere for at least 30min? I don’t even own a car, and that’s not because I couldn’t afford one.
There are plenty of places outside of towns that do not belong to farmers and the bus only comes a few times a day and only on weekdays. When they have a bus at all.
About 30 million people in Germany live in good proximity to public transport. About 50 million do not. These aren’t all farmers.
They have transit to back that up though. There are plenty of smallish towns and rural areas that don’t have any transit at all.
At the same time, those towns are hella compact, such that 90+% of residents can walk to pretty much any retailer or store or other resource within 15-20 minutes. Yes, some people (farmers) live outside of town and there are some American-style housing in clumps outside of the town, but everyone mostly lives in tight clusters.
And even the tiny towns well away from other larger towns have busses that move people between towns on a fairly regular If infrequent basis (15-20 minutes apart). Only the larger population centres can afford to have public transport that comes every 5 minutes or so.
You also have to understand that in North America, a “significant separation between towns” is something like 100+km. In Germany, that term qualifies with as little as a 10km distance. It’s rare to find any population centre that is more than 20km away from its nearest neighbour.
I think 15 minute cities are great if you have everything to back it up. All of the grocery stores and mini-box stores left downtown Seattle because a lot are work from home now. If people can work and live anywhere they want, they want nature. You need to have transit for that.
Edit: I’m trying to understand the downvotes, is this not being taught in urban planning? Is it just developers wanting to rent their spaces because their leases are closing out? Or is it naive people wanting to force their ideas without realizing humans are going to make decisions in the process as well? Super interesting thread.
You’re getting downvoted, because your comment is basically the typical “America does it this way, so it has to be good”.
I happen to live in a town of about 200k in Germany. Within walking distance there are at least 3 grocery stores, multiple doctors, bus stops and tram stations.
I have a nice backyard, if I had kids, they could play there. Alternatively, I could walk to one of at least two public playgrounds again within walking distance, or walk about 1km to a really cool one in a foresty park.
Nature (like real nature) is maybe half an hour by train away. Or 10min by bike.
Now, how exactly is that super totally worse than having to drive literally everywhere for at least 30min? I don’t even own a car, and that’s not because I couldn’t afford one.
There are plenty of places outside of towns that do not belong to farmers and the bus only comes a few times a day and only on weekdays. When they have a bus at all.
About 30 million people in Germany live in good proximity to public transport. About 50 million do not. These aren’t all farmers.